How to Grow Celery from Scraps + STEM Activity

A couple of years ago I had an interesting conversation with my second and third-grade class.  We were having a conversation about edible plants and some of the children were grossed out when they made the connection between vegetables and the plants we eat.  Carrots are roots?  Gross!  Lettuce is a leaf?  Gross!  Celery is a stem?  Gross!  My students truly did not know where their vegetables come from.  They knew that vegetables come from the grocery store, often in cans and freezer bags.  They knew they could find fresh vegetables in the produce section... but most of them did not know anything more than that.  To help your students make the connection between plants and the foods they eat, you can use their food scraps to grow veggies in the classroom.  Keep reading to find out how.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Growing Celery from Scraps

Growing celery from scraps is an easy way to show children that our vegetables are plant parts.  The entire plant is tasty and edible.  We can eat the leaves, stems, and roots.  To grow celery from scraps you will needs:

• the cut end of a bundle of celery (the fresher, the better)
• a clear jar or drinking glass
• water
• potting soil
• flower pot

Step One

Place the cut end of the celery bundle into a jar.  Add water to the jar, but do not fill it all the way.  Leave the top part of the celery poking out of the water.  If you cover all of the celery, it will drown.  Put the jar in a sunny window and wait.  In a week or so, you should see some roots growing.  In a few days after that, you should see some leaves growing too!

Step Two

Once the celery plant starts to grow roots and leaves, it is important to transfer it to a flower pot.  At this point, the plant needs the nutrients that are found in soil.  Keep the celery plant in a warm, sunny window and water as necessary.  Be careful to avoid overwatering.  Too much water will drown the plant.  You can place the flower pot on a plate or bowl to help drain the water if you accidentally water it too much.

Step Three

If you care for your celery plant properly, it will grow and grow and grow!  It may grow so much that you will need to transplant it into a larger pot or decide to plant it in your garden.  When celery is fully mature, it can be 12 to 18 inches tall.

Step Four

Harvest and enjoy eating your celery!  You do not need to harvest your celery all at once; you can harvest as much as you need when you need it.  This plant has had numerous stalks picked from it and it is still thriving.

Do you grow celery in your garden?  Do you have any tips or suggestions to help people grow their celery outdoors?  If so, share them in the comments below!

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